The Shadow In the Light
by KitsuneFlame98
Summary: Erza and Lucy find a mysterious young girl injured and near death outside of town, after bringing her back to the guild they learn her name is Haruka and she ran away from home for an unknown reason. when two men show up to take her back Haru uses her Shadow Magic to break free of her past and joins Fairy Tail. This is her story of how she becomes free.
1. Chapter 1

**Real quick before I start this story, this story will mainly be about my OC so no judgement please. I have pictures up on Deviant Art under the same username if you'd like to see those because the outfits are a little more detailed than I'd like to get into. I have these chapters set up kind of like episodes or a series of short stories about my OC. Also I am watching the anime and am not yet up to current so please bear with me.**

 **Chapter 1**

 **Unknown**

A young girl about the age of twelve runs through the trees desperately. Her hair long black hair matted and dirty, the rag dress she wore was torn and covered in dirt. She looked nervously over her shoulder as she pulled her dark rust colored scarf over her lower face. _I will not die today!_ She thought to herself as she ran. The trees broke and gave way to a clearing with a lake, with aching wobbly steps the black haired girl stumbled to the waterside and cupped her hands to get a drink. The water is cold and she feels as though her life force gets stronger with each drink, but she stops when she hears footsteps and voices.

"Lucy let's go!" Erza called from the job board. "I'm taking you with me for this one." she explained as the celestial mage joined her. Erza took a poster off the wall, "a village nearby called Cannes has a child who has gone missing. They are willing to give 10,000 jewel to whoever finds her and brings her back." Lucy smiled "whoa that's pretty nice!" Job in hand the two Fairy Tail mages headed out and walked out of town then down a trail in the nearby forest. The poster didn't offer any information about the child other than it was female with dark hair and dark colored eyes and a vague description of the knives she had. Erza felt something was off about it and it nagged at the edge of her mind as they walked. _The town of Cannes is about 2 days travel by foot so hopefully we can find a merchant wagon headed there_ she thought as they walked by the lake. Something caught her eye near the water, it was the figure of a young child who looked like it had just ran through hell. The child was on its knees drinking from the lake. Lucy stepped on a stick and it snapped. The child jumped up and wiped around, the look on its face made her stop.

Tears ran down the child's face and its eyes were filled with a mixture of fear and rage, its legs shook from either weakness or fear or maybe both. "Who is there!" the child yelled, judging by its voice it was likely a girl. Seeing that this child clearly needed help Lucy stepped out from the trees followed by Erza. "You were sent to hunt me down weren't you!" she yelled as she wiped out a couple of knives. Lucy put up her hands "hey it is ok, we are not going to hurt you" she said softly as she took a step forward. The young girl got into a battle stance "Bull shit! I will never go back to that hell! I'd sooner die!" she yelled. Erza ran forward and pulled Lucy back by her shirt just in time, a black blade-like shadow came out of nowhere and nearly hit the golden haired mage. _Shadow magic huh?_ Erza thought _I knew I felt something about this kid._ "We aren't here to hurt you ok! We are guild mages from the nearby town and we are just leaving for a job!"

After a moment of hesitation the child ran forward and attempted to slash Erza, but the experienced fighter jumped back then grabbed the girl's arm as she passed and hit her really hard on the back of the neck causing her whole body to go limp. Lucy picked up the child's knives and put them in her bag as Erza put the mysterious young girl over her shoulder, "forget the job, this kid needs help!" she yelled as she began running back to town.

The guild hall was alive as usual, mages sat at the tables and talked, some gathered around the request board, Mira was standing behind the bar talking to Canna who was drinking as usual and Natsu and Gray were yelling at each other while Wendy laughed, but when Erza and Lucy ran in a hush went over the hall. It went from casual chilling to a slight emergency situation. Mira ran from behind the bar "What the hell is that?" she said as she felt the child's head "Erza what did you do!"

"I didn't do anything! We found her like this!" she explained. Mages from around the hall started to become interested in the event that was unfolding near the entrance. Mira lead Erza around the back of the bar where there was a small hallway then into a resting room, Wendy soon followed. Erza laid the injured girl on the bed closest to the door. The young dragon slayer walked up to the bed "she is in bad shape…" she said softly. The girl was barely breathing, her arms and legs were covered in small scratches and cuts, cloths torn and dirty, hair matted and dull. After a moment to collect her thoughts Wendy got to work using her magic to help close the larger wounds.

The wizards out in the main room of the guild hall where still trying to process what just happened. The quiet lasted a few minutes before they all started talking in hushed tones. "Yo, Gray did you see that kid? He looked pretty beaten up." said Natsu to Gray as they sat back down. "He? What makes you so sure it's a boy?" Gray said questioningly "it is obviously a girl, did you see the hair long and flowing!" Natsu tipped his head to the side giving him a look of "really dude" then gestured to Gajeel and Freed. Seeming to get the point Gray sighed and took a drink from the mug sitting in front of him. "Whatever it is, it was trying to get away from something…. Or someone" Gray and Natsu looked down the table at Laxus who had just sat down.

After what felt like an hour Wendy and Mirajane with the help of Lisanna had covered the wounds on the young girl as well as cleaned the dirt and blood off her face. Thanks to Wendy's magic she seemed to be in less pain despite the few broken bones they found. The mages stepped back and took a sigh of relief before Wendy turned to Erza and Lucy who stood by the door, "So who is she?"

Lucy shook her head "no idea, she did not say her name or where she was from. All she did was say she would sooner die than go back to where ever she is from… poor kid."

Before long the girl groaned and slowly opined her eye.

 _W-where am I…. W-why do my legs hurt so much_ she thought as she opened her eye, her vision cleared and she saw a wood ceiling and stone walls. _I am in a building?_ She turned her head slowly towards the doorway of the room, the light from outside was bright but she could make out two women standing beside the door and someone not much older than herself sitting beside the bed. The girl had long dark blue hair and brown eyes, she smiled at her "hey you're awake! Please don't try to move just yet, your injuries are pretty bad." her voice sounded kind and gentle. "What's your name child?" a new voice sounded from the foot of the bed. This woman wore a pretty looking dress and had long white hair. The child hesitated for a moment before saying "H-Haru… My name is…. Haruka" Haru turned her head back to the door, her vision became clearer and she recognized the women who attacked her in the woods. Her eyes widened in fear as she struggled to stand up, the blue haired girl tried to stop her but Haru slapped her hand away "No! I am not going back!" she screamed as she tried to stand up but lost her balance and fell down.

"Please try and relax! Your hurt!" the girl from the foot of the bed said as she tried to help Haru to her feet. Tears streamed down the young girl's face "please don't send me back!" Haru said on the verge of tears. The white haired woman put her hand on Haru's head, "you are safe now Haruka. We are not going to send you anywhere, ok?" Haru looked at her and nodded then looked at the women by the door. "The taller one scares me…" she said as haru got back into the bed. "WH-where am I?" she asked quietly "w-where is my scarf? And who are you people?"

"You are in a resting room of Fairy tail. I am Mirajane and this is my little sister Lisanna." Mira smiled and gestured to a younger girl with short white hair and a friendly smile. Haru turned and looked at the blue haired girl. "I'm Wendy, it is nice to meet you Haruka, though I wish it were under better circumstances. The two who found you are Erza Scarlet and Lucy." Wendy said as she turned to the mages by the door. Haru looked at the women in the room and pulled the blanket up over her mouth as if to hide her face. "Mirajane… Lisanna… Wendy… um Erza and Lucy…" haruka's lip shook as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

"Can you tell us where you are from Haruka? Or maybe why you were running away." Erza asked, her stern voice made Haru uneasy. Then images flashed into her mind, images of dark figures beating her, calling her names and sounds of screams of pain. Haru put her right arm over her face and shook her head. Mirajane looked at Wendy and nodded, "That is ok Haruka, and you don't have to tell us. Please try and get some rest ok? We will come and check on you in a bit." Wendy said as she left the room with Lisanna and Lucy, but as Mira turned to walk away Haru reached out and grabbed her hand. "Can you please… stay here with me? I am scared of being alone." Mira looked up at the others who stood by the door. "I have to go speak with the guild master. How about Wendy stay here with you?" Wendy nodded and sat in a chair by the bed while everyone else left the room.

"This is so weird." Lucy said as she leaned on a table. Her and Erza along with Natsu left the guild hall and went down the street to a little cafe. "Some kid shows up, injured and scared, attacks Erza who was trying to help her then refuses to tell us why she was running in the first place."

Erza looked at Lucy as she took a bite of the strawberry cake she ordered. "Mira asked that we keep quiet about it until she speaks with Master Makarov."

Lucy sighed and looked over at Natsu as he said "so do we know anything about this kid? What's his name?" Lucy didn't hear Natsu say "His" before she answered. "Haruka. And we don't know much more than that." the three Fairy Tail mages sat there for a few moments quietly before the silence was broken. Two men walked up to them, one man wore a white button up shirt with a black jacket and jeans, his hair was a dark purple pulled back into a ponytail with a part that hung in his face kind of covering his left eye. The other man had shoulder-length messy yellow hair that hung slightly in his face he wore just a shirt and a pair of jeans with suspenders that weren't over his shoulders, instead they just hung there at his hips. "Hey we are from a nearby town and wouldn't ya know we are looking for someone." Lucy got a weird feeling from these men, the guy with the ponytail took his hand held it flat a little below his chest "We are looking for a kid about this high, dark hair, with a dark red scarf and a gray outfit. She got lost ya see and needs to be brought back home." the grin that came to his face sent a chill down Lucy's spine. Natsu looked back at them "eh what make you think we have seen her? There are a lot of kids in this town that match that description."

The man turned around and waved his hand dismissively "whatever, we will just go look elsewhere if you are not going to give any useful information." once the men were gone Lucy looked at Erza, as if she had the same thought the red haired girl nodded then stood up. "This could mean trouble for Haru."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **Unknown pt2: The Fight, The Victory, and a New Start**

"Hey, Lucy where is the kid?" Erza said angrily, the celestial mage sat straight up and nervously looked around. It has been 3 days since Haruka was brought into Fairy Tail, she is no longer on bedrest and is allowed to walk around the guild hall but with the threat of the two mysterious men looking for the young girl, Makarov asked her not to leave the guild hall. Haruka eventually warmed up to Erza and tended to stay close to her, but when she left for a job Lucy was put in charge of her. Haru was incredibly shy and tended to run off and hide, Erza, Lucy and Mirajane all tried to keep an eye on her but despite their efforts she would occasionally disappear.

Lucy turned around and looked at Erza "I…. Uh she was just here. Oh there she is!" Lucy pointed to a table near the back of the guild hall where Gajeel, Natsu and Wendy were sitting. Haruka was under the table peeking out at Gajeel then it was almost like she vanished then reappeared under the table behind him. "I don't know what she is up to but at least she is out of the resting room." Erza sighed.

Haru crawled out from under the table and reached up cautiously and touched the dragon slayer's hair, he immediately jumped up and turned around to see who touched him and to his surprise he found Haruka. Hardly anyone other than those who took care of her knew anything about Haruka, this so that she would have to talk to the others in the guild because she was going to be staying for a while. Haruka fell backwards in shock, her legs shook in fear but she forced herself to speak. "Y-your hair is very long…" she said softly. Gajeel stood there for a moment slightly confused than helped the young girl up to her feet, then she sat down at the same table but a few feet away from where he was.

"Oi what is your name kid?" Gajeel asked. Haruka froze for a moment then looked at him, "My name is Haru." Gajeel looked at the girl, he could hardly recognize the child Erza brought back. Over the last 3 days Haruka had been patched up, fed and given a bath. Her black hair was still messy but it was shiny and clean with a little side ponytail like how Lucy would sometimes wear but on the other side, but she still wore the same torn gray dress and dark gray scarf tied around her hips. "Uh, so Haru… you are a girl right?" Gajeel asked, since Erza wouldn't tell anyone anything about the kid some of them thought Haru was a boy, while others said it was a girl to the point where Laxus, Gajeel, Gray and Natsu put money on it.

Haru looked confused at the dragon slayer. "Yes I am a girl." her confusion grew when the black haired mage looked semi-disappointed then looked across the guild hall where Laxus sat with a smug grin. "Great now I owe that electric bastard 50 jewel." he growled as Natsu busted out laughing. "You owe him too idiot!" he growled, Natsu stopped then looked in his pocket then got up and grabbed Lucy and drug her to the job board. Haru watched them go with her head tipped to one side then she got up and ran over to the bar where Mirajane was giving Makarov a mug. "Oh hey! This must be little Haruka!" the little old man laughed. Haru nodded then hopped up on a stool. "Hey little one, are you a mage? I can sense some strong magic in you!" he smiled. Haru looked at him then shifted in her seat. Then she remembered that everyone here had magic of some type and nodded. "Yes I do but… I would rather not use it... "She said shyly then changed the subject "Hey miss Mirajane, are there any spare clothes I can change into? This dress is torn…"

"Tell ya what, how about I take you out shopping?" she smiled

Haruka's eyes went wide and for the first time she smiled "Really?"

Mira nodded. "But first I want you to try and talk to someone without hiding while I get ready to go, can you do that?" Haruka nodded then jumped down from the stool and looked around the guild hall. Then nodded to herself and walked over to a table where she saw some nice looking people sitting and talking, a pretty girl in a green dress with brown hair and glasses sat beside the guy Gajeel apparently owes 50 jewel to, then across from them sat a guy with long green hair and a man in a helmet. _Ok Haruka this is it, hello my name is Haru what is your name?_ She said in her mind as she stopped at their table. "Hello I'm Haru, what's your name?" she said, she was so happy she managed to speak to someone without slipping up on her words but despite that her hands still shook with nervous energy.

"Aw now aren't you a cutie!" the woman smiled and adjusted her glasses, "I am Evergreen"

"Hey there kiddo, I am Bickslow" the man with the helmet said, Haru noticed right away that his guild mark was on his tongue. She felt her hand get grasped and she turned to see the green haired mage had taken her hand between his. "How do you do, I am Freed. It is very nice to meet you, Haruka". After he let go of her hand she stepped back and held her hand close to her chest. The last guy took a drink from his cup then turned to her. He had yellow hair that was all spiked up and a zig zag scar on his face. "Laxus." is the only thing he said, as he went to drink again Evergreen hit him playfully on the back and almost made him spill his drink, "Hahahaha, come on Laxus you could be a little less cold to the kid!" she turned to look at Haru but found nobody there, it is almost like she vanished. "Huh? Well that was strange."

Haruka ran over to Mira as she walked into the main room of the guild hall and they left. She held Mirajane's hand and walked close to her as they went down the sidewalk. This town was a lot bigger than Haru imagined. There were tons of people out and about with little shops and cafes all along the road. It was a lot to take in. Mira led Haruka into a little clothing shop where they met up with Lisanna. "Hey good to see you out Haru!" she smiled. "So what kind of outfit do you want?" Haru looked around, she had never been clothes shopping before and had no idea what she wanted. The sisters had her try on all sorts of cloths before she finally found something she liked. Haruka walked out of the dressing room wearing a white halter top with a solid black long sleeved vest that cut off just below her chest and a pair of short black shorts and a white belt that had a ruffled dark gray fabric on one side that hung down a little past her knees, and to tie it all together Lisanna picked out a pair of red mini boots that matched her scarf. Happy with her new outfit Haru walked happily between Mira and Lisanna back towards the guild hall, but she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw two familiar men standing about six feet in front of them. _Oh no… they found me_.

"Excuse me ladies but that kid there belongs to us." one of the men said as he took a step forward. "You have stayed here long enough Millie, it is time you came back."

Haruka growled and yelled "that is not my name anymore Kenji and you know that damn well!" Mira stepped up and got between Haru and the strange main. "You know these two haru?" Lisanna asked quietly. "Yea… I was running from them when Miss Erza found me… but I am not scared of these two asshats anymore." Haru noticed that the streets seemed to clear out, the once lively street was now almost empty.

"I do not know how you know Haruka but when we found her she was scared to death and hurt badly. She said she would sooner die than return to wherever she came from." Mira said with a look in her eye that Haru had never seen before, "but we will not be handing her over to you!"

Kinji laughed, "Ok then if you won't hand her over then I'll just have to take her!" as soon as he said that Haruka took off running down the street _I have to get to the guild hall! I can't go back!_ Haru looked over her shoulder and found Lisanna running close behind but following them was a man with spiky shoulder length yellow hair. _Crap, Kinji and now Yoma!_ Haru kept running but there was no way she could outrun Yoma. "Run child," the words rang in her mind "fight and run for as long as you can. Then when you can't take another step, find friends who will stand beside you and fight the demons of your past." _friends?_ Haruka gritted her teeth then turned around and ran back at the man behind them _Fairy Tale, they helped me. They did not have to but they did. They are my friends and I have to show them I can stand on my own two feet!_ Using the momentum from her running she swung her fist up and clipped Yoma in the jaw causing him to flip backwards. Haruka stood over him fire in her red eyes, "Hey Yoma, I am done running."

He got up to his feet and took a swing at Haru, but she jumped back then put her hand up in fists. Before he knew what hit him Haru spun around and jumped in the air then delivered a powerful jump kick to his face then landed and looked at Lisanna. "Lisanna run back to the guild and get help!" just as she said that an explosion of dust erupted from down the street, apparently Mirajane is fighting Kinji. Lisanna nodded then ran off.

"You honestly think you can win Millie? You are weak, just like your father!" Yoma yelled as he got up and took out a sword. Now haru was pissed. "Why don't ya' use your magic, you monster! Show your friends what you really are!" he yelled as he swung his sword at her but she kept dodging every swipe.

Lisanna ran into the guild hall and found Erza talking to Laxus near the bar. "Erza!" she yelled as she ran over to her then stopped to catch her breath. Concerned mages turned to see what was going on, "Erza, those men you told me about, the ones after Haru! They are still here and she and Mira are fighting them now!"

Erza and Laxus stood up, "Where are they!" she demanded. "Down town near the park." Lisanna replied. Before anything could be said Erza ran out of the guild hall and down the street followed by Laxus and Makarov.

Haru narrowly dodged every swing made by Yoma with ease. _He doesn't even have magic, so why does he think he can take me down solo?_ Movement in the corner of her eye made her get distracted and Yoma thrusted his sword straight into Haru's upper leg. After a scream in pain she saw Erza running towards her followed by Laxus. _Why did he follow her here?_ Her thought was cut off by another scream in pain, Yoma cut her side pretty good and she was bleeding profusely from her right side and leg. Then she was sent flying by a powerful kick and landed in a pile of trash and hit her head on the cornerstone of a shop. Her vision blurred and went black. "Huh? You say your name was Millie? Well that name isn't yours anymore, sad to say…" _that voice!_ Haruka opined her eyes, she was back in her home town at the shrine where she was raised after her father died and mother turned her back on her. A pretty young woman with pale pink hair pulled into a high ponytail sat in front of her with a bowl of water and some cloths. "Your mother abandoned you, your town that once loved you now sees you as little more than a guard dog… your name is not yours anymore. So how about a new one?" she smiled as she used a wet cloth to clean blood and dirt from Haru's face.

"A new name?" the voice of young haru sounded followed by a sniffle.

"Yea, new life new name. Think of it as a fresh start! Also you don't look like a Millie Shiro to me. How about Haruka Kruoku?" haru felt a surge of happiness. Next thing she knew Haruka was no longer in the shrine, instead she was running away with the woman from the shrine, but she stopped. "Hinnami come on we have to keep going!" young Haruka cried as the sound of angry men grew closer. The woman kneeled down to get eye level with her, "Haru, I have to look after the shrine. Please go, and if they follow you. You must fight back! You must fight!" haru turned and ran, leaving Hinnami behind "Fight, Haru! Embrace your magic don't fight it! YOU ARE FREE NOW!"

Haruka stood up from the trash and opined her eyes to find Erza standing beside her, "you ok?"

"I am fine, thanks to Hinnami." she said as she wiped some blood from her lip. Erza looked at her, "Hinnami?" before she could say anything more Haru turned to her. "I am going to use my magic now… please don't hate me."

"Hate you? Why because you use shadow magic?" haru flinched "your magic isn't bad Haruka, your magic is what make you, you. Do not ever be afraid to use it, how would that make your teacher feel?" haru sniffled then balled up her fists. Erza could see that her mind was made up and stepped back. Haru looked up at Yoma, "I am free. You can't trap a shadow."

"What?"

Haru held her arms out in front of her then pretended like she was going to draw out a sword, she made a up swinging motion and black blades rose from the shadows on the street and hit Yoma sending him flying back. "Hahaha see! She is a monster! She moves the darkness, there is no place for people like her!"

"No, you are wrong." haru said as she ran forward and clashed her shadow blade with his sword. "A shadow can only live in the light, in the dark shadows do not exist!"

"Even so, you are a monster. You have blood on your hands! You are an outcast! With no home to return to! You have no family!" Yoma's words made an image of Haruka's mother pop into her mind as she abandoned her. Her shadow began to fade.

"Haruka!" Makarov's voice shook her back into reality, she looked over her shoulder and saw the old man. "You are not a monster, if you are an outcast then join the club; if you have no home to return to then make Fairy Tale your home; if you have no family to support you then let us become your family!" Makarov nodded then made an L with his finger and thumb and pointed up at the sky, Erza soon followed and did the same, she looked back and about 10 feet behind Yoma Mirajane was also doing the same. A tear of joy pooled in Haruka's eyes as she kicked him back and then did a backflip and got into a battle stance. _I did it Hinnami, I found a place to call home. And I'll fight to keep it that way!_ Haruka felt happier than she had ever felt in her life, she felt like using her magic was no longer bad and that made her feel light on her feet. She smiled and hopped on one foot a few times "One. Two. Three. Then you will be down." she giggled then ran forward.

Yoma swung his sword horizontally and Haru turned around and jumped over it, "you see that master? It looks like she is dancing!" Mirajane said as she joined Erza and Makarov. Landing on her hands, Haruka then flipped onto her feet she vanished into the shadows then jumped out of nowhere and punched Yoma in the gut then jumped up and kicked his face. "That's one." she laughed as spun around like a happy child. The man got up and ran at her but his sword got kicked away when she spun around, then she stopped and punched his face and used her shadows to throw him back. "That's Two!" she laughed.

Yoma got back up but Haru just laughed. "You don't scare me anymore. All those things you have said to me mean nothing now that I know they are lies." haru snapped her fingers and blade-like shadows rose up from her own. Not willing to back down, Yoma ran forward and went to punch Haru but she leaned backwards so his fist came just over her face then once her hands touched the ground she kicked up her legs and did a flip that kicked Yoma right between the legs then sent him straight into the trash. Haru stood up and ran over to Erza and gave her a hug then looked down at Makarov, "did you really mean what you said? Will you let me join Fairy Tail?"

Makarov smiled and gave her a thumbs up, "yea, why would I lie to you?"

Yoma and Kenji left the town soon after their defeat, the boys went back to their hometown with their mission ending in failure.

That evening Haruka had gotten some much needed medical attention, with a bandage around her middle, her right leg and around her head she never felt happier as she was accepted into the guild. She took off her scarf and had the Fairy Tail insignia stamped above her chest on the left side so that the guild that took her in would always be close to her heart.

"Hey congrats on joining the guild!" Lucy smiled as she walked in with Natsu. "It's almost like you are one of us already, you nearly destroyed an entire city block!" she laughed.

"Yea but I got a little problem… I don't have anywhere to stay at night except the guild hall resting rooms… and as nice as it is to stay here, but that room gives me the creeps." Haru smiled

"How about until we find you a good place to live we'll just take turns watching you at night?" Lisanna suggested "Mira and I can take care of you tonight, you'll get to meet our brother Elfman!"

Haru smiled as she looked at the members of Fairy Tail then put her hand on her insignia then nodded.

 **So I have these chapters set up like a series of short stories, I will explain things in later chapters but other than that I hope you liked the story and if you have any questions or suggestions then please PM me! See you later!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow ok so this story has more interest than I expected so I am going to keep on rolling with this because people seem to like it. Thanks for reading! And if you have any suggestions or questions feel free to PM me anytime! Also this chapter contains the story of Haruka's past.**

 **Chapter 3**

 **The shadows of her past**

Spending the night at the home of Lisanna and Mirajane was a nice gesture. On the walk to their home Haruka tried to imagine what their brother Elfman looked like, but her guess couldn't have been farther from the truth. After hearing that Mira was the oldest the new Fairy Tail mage assumed Elfman was shorter than his older sister, but to her surprise that was not the case. The white haired mage loomed over Haru and was easily over two times her size with huge muscles and a face that kind of made the young girl nervous.

"It's nice to meet a new member of Fairy Tail especially one so young! You will grow into a strong man no doubt!" he laughed as he patted Haruka's head. She was slightly confused after being called a man then looked down at her flat chest, _do I really look that much like a boy?_

After Lisanna cooked dinner, Mirajane helped Haru to wash her hair and then let her borrow one of Lisanna's shirts to sleep in, though it fit the small child like a short dress. But despite Haru being in a safe place she laid wide awake on the couch unable to sleep, for every time she closed her eyes her dreams were troubled and dark.

The next morning Haruka sat at an empty table in the guild hall and looked down at her hands, her eyes were dull and tired, her head occasionally bobbed forward as she grew closer to passing out from exhaustion until she just gave in and fell asleep at the table. When she awoke she found that Wendy was sitting beside her, Haru sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"Rough night?" the sky dragon slayer asked. Haru shook her head "I wouldn't say that, it is almost like I was unable to sleep no matter how tired I was. Every time I drifted off I was haunted with nightmares" she stopped as if she realized something, "but just now I slept fine…" Wendy looked at her and smiled.

"You are in a new place with people you don't know, maybe you just need some time."

After Wendy left her side Haru looked around the guild hall then stood up. "Hey, today why don't you try finding someone to take a job with you?" Mirajane's words played in her head as she walked to the job board by the entrance. She stood there and looked at the job posters one by one for what felt like hours but what was really only about 20 minutes before a semi-familiar voice made her jump.  
"Oi, you gonna stand there looking at the jobs all day or are you going to pick one?" Haru turned and found Gajeel standing behind her with an ever so slight grin on his face. "Can't choose?" he added. Haru looked from the board then back to Gajeel, "I…. Um…. I can't tell what they say." she replied quietly avoiding eye contact.

"You can't read?" he asked. Haru shook her head after a moment, he laughed then put his hand on her head then kneeled down "That's ok kid, you'll just hafta find someone to teach ya' how. Ya see the short girl with the blue hair? That shrimp's name is Levy and she might just help you out." he kind of pushed her a little then took a job from the board.

Taking a deep breath she walked across the guild hall and followed Levy into what looked to be a small library, shelves full of books lined the walls and filled the room just the thought of how much knowledge was in this one room made her feel a mix of fear and joy. After taking a moment to process her thoughts Haruka found Levy taking a book from the shelf and opening it. The mage looked over at Haru when she saw the shy girl peeking out from around the corner, once she was noticed Haruka left the library and sat at a table full of nervous energy. Frustrated by not being able to talk to Levy, Haru hit her head on the table and stayed there for several moments before she heard someone sit beside her. She lifted her head slightly and over her arm and through her hair she saw Levy smiling, "Hey, I saw you in the Library just now. Did you need something?" she asked. Haru froze, unable to think of what to say "Uh, no. well actually yes I do need something!" Haru sat up and nervously tapped her finger on the table, "I don't understand the job." she said nervously and after a look of confusion from Levy she pointed at the job board then it clicked into the bluenette's head

"Oh you can't read!" she said holding back a giggle, "And let me guess, you would like to learn?"

Haru nodded and opined her bag then pulled out a leather bound book that had a strange picture on the front that kind of looked like a bird. "My dad left this to me along with my scarf… he never got to teach me how to read it and I would like to know." the book was a collection of short stories, legends, and tales of adventure and magic that looks like it has seen better days.

It took most of the day but Levy did manage to teach Haru how to read a single story out of the book, and as difficult as it was, the feeling the mage had when she saw the look on Haru's face after she was able to read a whole sentence without help made her happy. "Ok, ok what about this word Levy?" she smiled as Haru pointed to a word on the page. "That word is _crevice_ , it means a crack or a hole, and in this case it is another word for a short narrow cave caused by a crack in the mountain." Haru's eyes widened and filled with joy then she closed her book and hopped up and bowed to her, "Thank you Levy! I'll come to you if I find another word I do not know!" she smiled and ran happily over to the bar to show Mira what she had learned.

The sun began to set making the sky turn a beautiful fiery red, Mira closed up the bar and looked around at the wizards still in the hall. "Hey who is taking Haru tonight?" Erza said as she walked by. Mirajane looked around at the remaining members, Natsu and Lucy were arguing about something, Gray was leaving with Juvia not far behind, and then of course Cana was waking up from a drunken nap then there were also the option of Laxus or Freed to watch young Haru tonight. Seeing her choices were limited, being that Haru has not really talked to anyone, Mira looked at Erza and smiled "you are."

After a moment of shock Erza looked over at the young child who sat on the floor looking at her book, "The taller one scares me" Haru's words sounded in Erza's mind, but that was back when everything about this place seemed scary to the child, but watching her tonight would allow for her to find out who this Hinnami person was that Haru spoke of during her fight the day before.

"Hey kid" Erza said as she kneeled down beside Haruka, "come with me, I am going to be watching over you tonight ok?" After a moment Haruka nodded and stood up and placed her book in her bag. Once they arrived at her home Erza showed Haru where she would be sleeping, on the couch in the living room. This didn't bother Haru at all.

"So I saw Levy teaching you how to read." she tried to start a conversation

"Yea, now I might be able to pick a job!" Haru replied

"So, you didn't know how to read before?" Haru shook her head at Erza, "my daddy taught me a lot of things, he taught me magic, and how to fish, where to go in case of a fire, and he showed me how to fight a little… but then the chief died and his son took control, daddy was called away after that and he died."

Interested, Erza sat in a chair across the table from Haruka "Called away? What do you mean?"

"That town I grew up in is through the forest and over the mountains then across a huge grassland from here, it is a small town called Canes. In Canes the use of non-healing magic has been a topic of controversy for as long as anyone can remember. The villagers didn't like the idea of the children having an ability used for harming others, but it was never bad to have. The current chief hates magic but our traditions have always allowed for healing magic… so he twisted the mind of the people to think that magic that was not used to heal was evil, so any child who had magic like that had no choice. We were taken from our homes, stripped of our family name and turned into guardians of the village. Our one purpose was to protect the people so we could not use our magic against them in any way, guardians were treated with no more respect than dirt." Haru turned to her and continued. "The villagers said we were evil, we weren't allowed to talk to the other kids because they feared we would 'teach our dark arts' to them, sometimes the older kids and men would beat us up for fun. We weren't allowed to leave the town or train to get stronger. I had enough so I ran away." as if a switch flipped Haru turned back to her book and pointed at a word. "Levy told me this word is crevice, it means a short cave or narrow crack in a rock or wall!"

Unsure what to say she just smiled and stood up, "wow that is awesome, hey kiddo let's get you ready for bed so you can try a job tomorrow!" Erza said. Haru jumped up and went into the restroom to change into her pajamas that Mira had given to her, which was basically just an old shirt that was too small for Lisanna and a pair of shorts. Haruka curled up on the couch under a blanket cuddling her scarf

The town of Canes was a well-known stop on many trade routes and a prosperous farming village with a history of being close minded when it came to magic. The current chief's son Kinji learned rune magic in order to make a barrier around the village that served one purpose only, to keep the guardians inside. To everyone else in the town and those who are just passing through the rune wall may as well not be there. Here in this town a couple fell in love, got married and had a child, a little girl who inherited her father's shiny black hair and deep crimson eyes and her mother's energy and relatively short stature. They named their healthy young daughter Millie Shiro. Millie's mother had long beautiful light peach colored hair and Icey blue eyes with a sweet smile, she was the girl all they guys wanted back in her day but after growing up she found real love in a hunter's son named Vali.

Vali's family was made up of a long line of shadow magic mages so it was obvious that he was going to continue the family tradition and teach his child the art that had been passed down for generations. But with the current chief's death and the rise of his son, Nena feared for her baby's future if she was taught magic. Despite the new chief's distaste for magic Vali began to teach his child shadow magic, and Millie was very good at it. Before long she was able to slip into the shadows and move with them and even started to get the hang of using the shadows as extensions of her own arms. Though this didn't last long, the new chief put a new law out that any children caught using magic was going to become a guardian, Millie's mother forbid her from using the magic she loved so much? Eventually, however, Vali was taken away to become a guardian then soon after, he died.

After his death Nena said to her child who was now only 8 years old, "your father died because he tried to teach you dark magic, so don't ever use your magic if you want to stay happy. Do you understand my child?"

"Yes ma-ma." Millie replied as she wiped away tears, but the words of her lost father echoed in her head, "Remember Millie, as long as you hold my magic close to your heart I will never be far away. Your magic is a wonderful thing and don't let anyone tell you otherwise!" with nothing left of him but a storybook he would read and the scarf he wore Millie was determined to keep her father's magic in her life.

A knock at the door made Nena jump and almost drop the plate she was cleaning, young Millie was coloring a picture at the table when her mother answered the door. It had been a month since Vali's death but Millie knew this day would come sooner than later, the day when her own mother would turn her in for having magic.

"We are here by orders of Chief Brent to take Millie Shiro into the guards for having dark magic." a man's voice sounded from the door. Nena opined the door and two men came in and took the child away, she cried and begged them not to but stopped when she looked over her shoulder and found that the mother she thought loved her so much, was not even upset at the sight of her only child being taken away to become a soldier. This crushed Millie, she became an emotionless shell of herself, the words of her mother rang in her head "your father was evil so the same evil blood flows in you" "get out of my life you worthless child, there is no place for someone like you" and she started to believe it too. The now nameless child sat in a dark alleyway one evening looking at a leaf as it blew in the breeze until woman stopped in front of her and smiled.

"I want to know your name…" her voice was kind and gentle, the young guardian looked up at her. The woman wore a strange outfit, but she remembered that her outfit maned she was a shrine maiden, a woman who took care of the large spirit shrine to the south of town but still within the rune wall that trapped the mages. She had stunning green eyes and very very pale pink hair that was nearly white that was pulled into a high ponytail.

"Sorry but i have no name" the child replied. A ray of sunlight cut through the clouds as the woman extended her hand down to the girl. There's no place in the world where she thought she could belong, and yet someone was extending their hand to help her.

"Let's leave the darkness together" the shrine woman smiled and led the child away.

"Huh? You say your name was Millie? Well that name isn't yours anymore, sad to say…" she said with a giggle as she washed the young girl's hair. She had taken Millie to the shrine were apparently a lot of guardians took shelter because it was the one place where any type of violence was forbidden. There was a bath house and several empty temple like houses around the main temple stood, and without any use to them they eventually became a type of home for those who had magic and were forced out of their families. "My name is Hinnami Amon. and don't worry my child you are safe to use your magic here. The spirits of those who have past on know you are not evil" Hinnami said as she dried the child's hair. "Hum… I have an idea on how to make you look at yourself differently!" she said with a smile, and before she could reply Hinnami said "How about I give you a new name!" _a new name?_ She thought.

"When you told me your old name was Millie Shiro I thought to myself 'she doesn't look like a Millie to me.' who picked out that name for you?"

"I think it was that woman they call my mother" she said with an edge of anger towards her mom.

"What about Ha-ru-ka, Haruka!" Hinnami laughed as she brushed Millie's hair. _Haruka?_ She thought as she looked in the mirror. _I think I like it._ "Haruka is great!" Haru replied in the same monotone voice she had grown to use since that day. "But a new name isn't all you get child! Ta-da!" Hinnami said happily as she pulled some of Haru's hair up into a little side ponytail on the left side then tied it up with a little red bow. Haru felt like a whole new person, and this feeling made a small grin grow on her face.

"Ha-ha! I knew you'd love it!" Hinnami laughed "I went on a trip recently to a town called Magnolia and while I was there I met this lovely young lady who had her hair just like it. So I asked her if she would teach me how she did it so I could help a little girl back home!" Haru wasn't paying attention to her, she was busy looking at her new hairstyle in the mirror. _I am not the same person anymore… Millie Shiro is long gone. I am now Haruka Kuroko._


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **The Job**

When Haru woke up to the smell of food, more specifically she woke up to the wonderful smell of eggs and rice. Erza was making breakfast and already had a bowl on the table for Haruka. After thanking her for the meal Haru took a bite, it was not the best food she had ever had but it was good enough to eat.

"Sorry I'm not much of a cook." Erza smiled as she sat down with Haru. "So, do you think you can handle a job today? Wendy and I were going to take one today and we need a third person." Haru looked up from her food and finished the bite she was chewing.

"What's the job?" before she could even finish her question the powerful mage slid her a very decorated job poster and she started to read it out loud.

"Help needed to… Tr-an-ce-port… um transport goods by train. The route we are taking is known for having frequent train robbers and our delivery must be made, we are looking for a team of three skilled mages to protect our cargo until the station in Dublith. So it is a delivery job?"

"More like a protection job. You and the other two will be riding in the cargo car with the goods and if anyone tries to rob the train, you stop them." she explained.

"Whoa wait I can't kill anyone!" Haru said worried, "I don't like to hurt people."

Erza smiled and laughed, "No, no, no child you don't kill anyone, just render them unable to fight. I am sure you can do that."

After Haru got ready they met up with Wendy at the guild hall then set out for their job. They took a train to the town where the client was set to leave from, on the train Erza explained to Haruka how jobs worked. "Now remember when talking to a client you want to be nice, respectful and understanding. You got that kiddo?" Haru shifted awkwardly when she mentioned talking to the client. Haruka still felt uncomfortable talking to her own guild members and couldn't even think about talking to someone she had never seen before. When the train stopped at the station her heart jumped as they were greeted by an older man as they departed.

"Ah yes you must be the mages I sent for from Fairy Tail! It is an honor to have you helping us!" he said happily as he shook Erza's hand. "Oh no the pleasure's all mine sir. I am Erza Scarlet and this is Wendy and," she paused then looked behind Wendy, Haru was a little shorter than the dragon slayer so she was able to hide behind her. The red haired mage pulled her out from behind Wendy and smiled "and this is our newest member Haruka."

"Well it is very nice to have you all here but Miss Scarlet is it really a good idea to bring children on this job? Especially when one is a brand new member."  
"Not to worry sir but Wendy is a dragon slayer and very experienced, and Haru here knows what she is doing." Erza smiled. _Do I know what I am doing?_ Haruka thought as the Fairy Tail mages helped to load cargo onto the train. She thinks back to what Wendy explained on the train

"For this job we have to protect the cargo hold of this train, Erza will be keeping a lookout at the front of the car, while Haru, you will be covering the back of the car." Wendy's words played in her mind as she got onto the train and sat down on the back deck of the train car. The train lurched forward then began to move and pick up speed, before long the train was speeding down the tracks. Haru watched in awe as the world moved by, she saw wide open land and beautiful forests then the train entered a dark tunnel. Sounds of the train echoed in the stone passageway so loudly that she could barely hear Wendy when she walked up.

"Ok Haruka this is it, at the end of this tunnel is possibly where we may get attacked! So keep on your toes!" Haru nodded and stood up then grabbed ahold of a bar beside the rear door of the car. The tunnel started to get brighter until light blinded the shadow mage, when her eyes came into focus she was amazed by the sight, mountain ranges loomed in the distance and a deep canyon captivated her eyes with its beauty. However now was not the time to get lost in the view, Haru heard them, and as if on cue three men leapt from a rocky outcrop and onto the top of the car, two of them jumped down to face Haru, "Aw hey look at this brother!" one man called to the other "it looks like we have to deal with a school field trip before we can get the loot!" the two men laughed as she got into a battle stance, but seeing her in such a stance made them laugh more. "Oh I'm so scared, what is a baby mage like you going to do to stop us?"

Before they could laugh anymore she held her hand out flat then pointed at the ground and moved her pointer finger up, by doing this claws of shadows rises up from her own shadow. Then she opened her hand with her palms facing the robbers, the shadows shot forward but were dodged easily. To create more room to fight the men jumped over the car hitch onto the empty flatbed car behind them.  
"Ya wanna fight do ya little boy then come on over!" the taller of the two challenged. Haru jumped the lock joint and replied "I am a girl, sorry to disappoint." she said as she moved her red scarf to show the robbers her guild mark, "and this cargo is being watched by Fairy Tail so if you want to back off now is your last chance, the three of you don't stand a chance!" despite her confident tone, the little mage's legs shook with fear. "Do you really think we would only attack such a big haul with only three men? Not a chance, the rest are up around the bend!" one yelled as he ran forward, a sword appeared out of nowhere and Haru barely had time to block it with a shadow. She had heard of this magic before, it was weapon requip, but it seemed this guy could only requip swords and not armor like Erza. This guy was giving her no time to think, he slashed at her with a flurry of poorly aimed attacks that Haru managed to block with blades of shadows. As soon as Haru was occupied with the fight the other man jumped over the fighting mages and ran into the cargo hold and was soon joined by another team of five who jumped from the cliff side. _This is getting dicey… Wendy I hope you can handle this._ After a few moments of clashing swords they both stopped as an explosion of wind and dust erupted from the side door of the cargo car, two men fell from the train and landed in the grassy null between the tracks and the steep canyon.

The fight quickly became unfair when two more men joined in the fight with Haruka, it was all she could do to avoid the attacks as they came from all sides, one man cut her leg, another cut her arm as she tried to regain balance. Frustrated Haru threw her arms in the air, shadow spikes grew from her shadow then she jumped and landed with her feet shoulder width apart and her arms out like a T, the shadows fanned out and pushed the men back a few feet. Breathing heavy, the shadow mage tried to think of a way out of this fight, but the first man ran forward and swung his sword horizontally, she turned and went down on one knee so the base would pass above her then she stood up and put one hand on his jaw and used the other hand and his momentum to throw the adult male into one of his partners. She then delivered a jump kick to the last guy and ran into the cargo hold, to her shock Wendy had everything under control. There were three men who were beaten up and tied up sitting in the corner, Erza soon joined them with two more limp robbers, "nice work team. I got some information from this one, he says there aren't any more other than the three Haru took out." she smiled as and threw them down.

When the train reached the Dublith station the robbers were arrested and the cargo was delivered. The client smiled as he gave them a "job well done" and thanked them several times. They each were paid 4,000 jewel as a reward for protecting the cargo.  
"And a very special thanks to you little one." the client said as he patted Haruka's head "as expected from a mage of Fairy Tail! Tell me kiddo, how long have you been in the guild?"  
"About 3 days." she said happily as he handed her the reward.  
"Oh? Hahaha, isn't that wonderful! Keep up the good work kid." he smiled as he turned to leave "I already paid for your tickets back home!" he added as he walked away.

When Haru got back to Magnolia she was so happy about finishing her first job that she could barely sit still, well at least until she found out that Laxus was to watch over her tonight. Her first meeting with the man, he didn't seem to strike her as the kind of guy who would volunteer to help the little girl out. This thought was more evident when she saw Natsu run over to him, "Yo, Laxus it has been a while since we last fought! Come on and fight me!" he yelled, a little blue cat with wings then yelled in agreement "Aye!" Before Natsu even knew what happened, Laxus hit him and the fire dragon slayer landed flat on his back unmoving on the floor. Haru swallowed nervously before speaking, "Master said you were watching me tonight?" Laxus nodded, "yea that's right but first I have to go get a few things, so try not to get lost."

Haru followed him down the street as they walked to his house, but first they stopped at a small store so Laxus could buy some food. After the groceries were bought they kept walking, something shiny caught her eye and made her stop. Noticing that she did Laxus turned back and saw her looking through the window of a store at a silver necklace with a gold colored star charm. He sighed "you wanna use your reward money to buy it?" Haru nodded and he took her inside. She walked happily out of the shop with the necklace around her neck but it barely stuck out from under her scarf. She ran ahead of him a few feet then turned around "why did you hit Natsu?" she asked  
"He wanted a fight, so I gave him one." he replied as he walked past her.  
"Couldn't you have let him fight you instead of you just attacking outright and ending the fight before it even began?" she said as she caught up beside him and started to balance on the curb.  
"Not how I roll." he said as he lightly pushed her so she would lose her balance. Haruka could tell he wasn't all that bad, in fact he seems like a nice guy who likes to put on the tough guy act.  
"Natsu won't learn anything if I go easy on him, to get stronger someone needs to have someone to look up to." he said as he put his hand on Haru's shoulder "in your case you have to look up at everyone because you are so short." he laughed then sidestepped to dodge a punch from the little mage, the last little bit of the walk consisted of him dodging Haruka and commenting on her lack of coordination when it came to non-magic attacks.

"So will you fight me?" Haru asked as she looked up from her book, they had just gotten to his house not even a half hour before but she was eager to try and fight him. Laxus smiled and gave a little laugh "Kiddo you saw what happened to Natsu, you are not even in the same league as he is and you still want to fight me?" Haru nodded. "No, sorry kid but I do not feel like being killed by Erza and Lucy for hurting you." Haru let out an annoyed sigh then sat up. "Please! Erza doesn't have to know! I'll just say I fell or something!"  
"You really want to try?" he smiled.  
"Hell yea!" she replied.  
"Ok fine." he said as he sat down his drink and stood up. "Outside." he said as he went outside and then into an open field like place. Haru followed shortly after but first she took off her scarf and necklace.

When she joined him outside Laxus took his jacket off and set it on the ground, but he didn't get into any kind of battle stance before motioning with his finger for Haru to attack first. _Laxus is a lot taller than I am, and a hell of a lot stronger. If I just run up to him then he will attack and it will be all over… so if I can dodge or block that first attack I might be able to land a punch on him._ Haru thought as she looked around. "Nice place to fight a shadow mage isn't it Laxus? An open field with no trees... "She said as she got into a battle stance. Laxus gave a tiny grin as she ran forward, "really kid you're starting with that?" he said as he went to punch haru, but to his shock she jumped to the side and gave a pretty hard punch to the shoulder. She jumped back and shook her hand like it hurt, he gave her a nod like "nice going" before running over and punching at her. Knowing if he hit her it would be over, Haru put up a wall with shadows then as Laxus broke through she ran around and jumped up to try and hit him with a jump kick. This, however, did not go as planned when he jumped back then delivered a hard punch to the stomach that was partially blocked when she put up her arms in defense. The punch sent the small child flying back, she hit the ground shoulders first before doing a painful flip and sliding to a stop lying face down in the dirt. _Crap I misjudged how light she was!_ Laxus had a moment of panic.

Haru spat dirt out of her mouth then laughed and struggled to her feet, her elbows and forearms were covered in scrapes and scratches but a bright joyful look on her face "Whoa that was quite a punch!" she laughed. "You almost got me there!"  
"Almost?"  
"Yea, almost! I used the shadows casted by my jacket to shield my body but you hit me before it could cover my arms!" she laughed as she stumbled forward "you are pretty strong and you haven't even used your magic! If this were a real fight I would probably be dead by now!"  
Laxus laughed at her comment then helped her back inside. He put a bandage over her arms and a little band aid on her knee. "Now remember kid, you fell"  
"Technically I did fall, right out of the air after you hit me!" she smiled. She knew Erza would never buy the story that she fell, Laxus knew in the very near future he was going to get an earful from an angry scarlet haired mage.

Later that night Laxus told Haru to go and take a bath but when she informed Laxus that she could not wash her own hair, the dragon slayer immediately called for help. That help came in the form of Evergreen, because she was the only person other than Erza herself that was not busy, and was not male. "Honestly Laxus I don't see why you couldn't do this!" Evergreen said from the bathroom were she helped Haru to clean her hair. Laxus stood outside the door "obviously because I am not a girl! Helping some kid wash her hair is not something that I should be doing! Besides shouldn't a kid your age be able to wash their own damn hair!"  
"Oh shut it Laxus, and by the way how did she get all these scratches on her arms?"  
"I fell." Haruka said as Evergreen washed the soap out of her hair.  
"Yea right, try again"  
"Laxus punched me."  
"Hey!" he yelled from outside "Don't give in so easily!"  
"Well I'm sorry she didn't buy my story!" Haru yelled back promptly followed by a scream as she slipped and fell getting out of the bath. Once she was all dried off and in her sleeping cloths Evergreen said goodbye and left the rest of the childcare to Laxus.

The next morning Laxus sat at the bar in the guild hall, "Mira I need a drink" he said. Mirajane laughed and slid a mug of alcohol over to him. "You look like you need it." She laughed as she handed Haruka a cup of milk. Before they were half way through their drinks they both stopped, they felt like someone really pissed off was standing right behind them. Haru turned her head and jumped a little in fear when she saw Erza standing behind them.  
"Hey. Laxus." She said through gritted teeth. The S-Class wizard didn't turn around, "yea." He instantly regretted the snarky reply when he got a punch to the head  
"Mind explaining why Haru now has more bandages on than when I left her last!"  
"It's ok Erza, I fell on the way home that's all!" Haruka smiled as she took a drink of milk.  
"Laxus did you punch her!" she asked and Haru spat out her milk and started laughing while coughing.  
"It was her idea!" Laxus said as he got back up in his chair he knew what was going to happen next, and it did. Erza began yelling at him about why he shouldn't have let Haru talk him into a fight and how she already hurt herself often enough without battle injuries being added. Blocking out Erza, Laxus glanced sideways to find Evergreen and Freed giggling to themselves. _Oh well then I'll just have to get them back for this later_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **Stand tall or break down / Conquering demons**

It has been about three weeks since Haruka's first job and since then her confidence has shot way up. This boost in confidence is also due to Levy's reading lessons and Haru's independent training to become stronger. These training lessons were going to be taught by Gray but when asking the ice mage for his assistance Haru mixed up her words causing him to get pissed and punch her, since then the young shadow mage has kept her distance.

Haruka sat at a table near the back of the guild hall, she occasionally looked up from her book. Despite having lived in the guild for nearly two months nobody knew her whole backstory, the only things Fairy Tail knew about Haruka Kuro was that she was 12 years old and was born in a town way out in the boonies called Canes. Some mages of the guild tossed it out thinking that it was something she didn't want to talk about and that everyone has those dark times they would like to forget. While others would look at the black haired girl and wonder exactly what kind of town Canes was that would drive such a young and sweet girl away. Levy tried asking many times but she always changed the subject immediately.  
"Hey kiddo" haru looked up to see Natsu sitting across from her with Happy beside him. "I hear you have been looking for a training buddy, meanwhile I have been wondering how strong you are. Wanna fight?" he smiled but before he could hear the shadow mage's response he was hit upside the head by Erza. "Natsu." she said through gritted teeth "I've already told you that you are too strong to fight with Haruka." Haru looked from Erza to Natsu then she put her book away, "um… you are a very strong dragon slayer who is unable to pull his punches. Until I get a little stronger it will not be a good match for me to learn from, and I doubt you will be impressed." Haru said then turned to Erza with a smile, "Master Makarov said I'm staying with you tonight since Levy is gone out on a quest with Lucy."

After Erza left, Natsu leaned over the table to look at Haruka's book. "Hey what kind of book are you reading?"  
Haru smiled "this book was left to me by my father. My scarf, this book and my magic are the only things I have left of him." her hands started to shake then she changed the subject, "did you ever pay Laxus that money you owe him?" the dragon slayer sat down and crossed his arms "yea I did, that electric bastard won the bet against like 4 others." Natsu smiled when the quiet mage giggled in response. "To be fair you do look like a little boy at first glance."

 **-POV Erza**

Erza walked down the street to buy some food from a nearby store, tonight she was going to try and make some fish for dinner. But as she walked she felt as if something was off, she felt like someone was following her. The S class mage looked across the street and then it hit her, across the way from her there was the guy Haruka was fighting the day Makarov invited her to join the guild, Rinji was his name she thought. He looked at Erza then motioned her to join him, then she walked over and sat down across the table from him. "Thought I told you not to show up here." she said in a low tone.  
"I am just curious on how Millie is fitting into Fairy Tail."  
"Haruka is doing just fine. She is very happy and the members of the guild like having her around."  
"Has she told you anything about her past?" he said with a smug grin.  
"She told me that she was turned in by her mother for having magic after her father died. And she told me about Hinnami."  
"So I take it she has failed to mention why she ran away? And she has not mentioned that she nearly killed three children the day she left? Oh and let's not forget that I am sure she has not said the origins of her weird fears?"  
"Fears?" Erza said narrowing her eyes.  
"You haven't noticed?" he shrugged then took a sip of his tea. He sat the cup down and narrowed his eyes "Millie is scared of a lot of things."  
"We all have fears, fear is what keeps us from being reckless. If we fear the loss of our loved ones we will not put them in danger. The fear of being alone gives us the power to protect our guild mates" she said coldly.  
"How can you call her a _loved one_ or a _guild mate_ if you don't even know about her past? You said it yourself _if you are weak alone then let us stand beside you and fight alongside you_ isn't that right, Erza Scarlet?" the mage made a fist in her lap when he grinned, "if you know nothing about her then how do you know she will not switch sides? Millie is nothing but bad news, bringing pain wherever she goes." he added as he stood up, he gave the S class mage farewell then walked down the road. The words he said stirred in her mind, _he is right_ , she thought, _I know nothing about Haruka's past so how can I help her fight if I have no idea what she is fighting for._

That night Erza took Haru home with her, and after they ate the S class mage sat on the couch searching for the right questions to ask. Haruka sat on the floor reading out of a book when a few pages fell from the back cover, one landed at Erza's feet. The page did not belong to the book, instead it had a drawing on it. The drawing was of a young girl with long messy hair up in two messy buns, her eyes were dull and emotionless, and the girl looked as if she had been beaten. Haruka picked up the page and looked at Erza,  
"ha-ha, I used to be a mess… Hinnami drew that." she said with an edge of sadness. Erza got down on the floor and looked at the other pages,  
"So that was you? Who are these two boys?" she picked up a drawing of two boys with young Haru sitting outside of some kind of shrine, both boys had shoulder length messy hair but what appeared to be the older of the two had his hair pulled into a messy ponytail.  
"That is Jayson and his little brother Bradley." she smiled "They were guardians like me, they had that body takeover magic, Jayson was like a big brother to me and Bradley had a huge crush on me." her joy turned into sadness, "They died not long before I left"

Haru handed Erza a drawing she got from the back of her book, the drawing had a better looking young Haru in front of two unmarked graves but there were two shapes on either side of her. The one on the right was kneeled down and touching her lightly on the shoulder, as if grieving with her while the other stood on her left with his back to Haru, fists clenched and looking up at the sky.  
"Hanami said that she saw their ghosts standing like that the day they died."  
"Haruka, can you tell me about your life as a guardian of Canes? It's just that I don't know the reason you ran away and I would like to know." Erza said bluntly, Haruka nodded and pulled up her shirt in the back, Erza was shocked to see some kind of faint burn mark in the shape of a rune symbol on her left shoulder blade.

"I became a guardian when I was only 6, they put a metal collar around my neck and they burned this mark on me to prove I was not welcome among normal people."

 **POV- Haru (5 years back)**

A child sat on a rock near the entrance to a shrine house, her black hair was matted and dirty, her dress torn and rugged, and her eyes dull and emotionless. The shrine maiden Hanami drew a quick sketch before walking over to her with a brush and a bucket of water, "Haruka it has been 3 days since you came here and you have not said a single word to anyone but me, why?" she asked as she used a wet cloth to clean the child's face.  
"I am not allowed to talk to the villagers." she replied quietly  
"Everyone here is a guardian, you can talk to them" Hanami said as she cleaned off the cloth, she looked up and smiled at two boys who were only a year older than Haru, "Why don't ya' try talkin' to those two boys? They are guardians about your age, Jason and Bradley. Haru looked over at them, the two boys had beautiful yellow hair and bright smiles on their faces as they ran and played, and like Haru, they had metal collars and rune burns on their backs. _If they are guardians then why are they so happy?_

The next day Haru was down by the creek just outside the walls of the shrine, she watched the fish swim among the rocks in the clear water. Before she knew what was going on some teenage boys from the town came and grabbed her by her hair and started kicking and punching her, the boys yelled "devil" and "monster" at her then one pulled her into the creek and held her head in the water while the others laughed as she struggled to get free, Haru felt the weight holding her lift and she got up to see Jason standing between her and the boys with a stick in hand.  
"You know the rules Spartos, no violence within sight of the spirits" he said to the oldest boy  
"Pft, in case you haven't noticed we are outside the walls so we can do whatever we want" the teen yelled back as her went to punch Jason. The guardian grabbed the teen's arm then put his other hand on his chest and before he knew what was going on Spartos was face-down in the dirt with his arm bent backwards and held by Jason with one foot on his back. "Those stone lanterns are the marker for the shrine, idiot, and as a guardian it is my job to keep this zone peaceful. Unless you want me to break your arm I suggest you leave." the three boys quickly left after Jason let Spartos go. He then turned to Haru and offered a hand to help her up, "you are not hurt are you?" he said sweetly. Haruka blushed as he pulled her out of the creek and looked over her arms and legs for injuries. "My name is Jason by the way, I am 12. My brother Bradley is 7, Hanami asked me to look after you while she is away"  
"Where did she go?"  
"So you can talk!" he smiled, "Some town to the east called Magnolia, or something like that" he said as they walked by through the entrance of the shrine grounds, "She goes on a trip every time we get a child as a guardian, she brings back books and clothes for the new guardian."

A week went by and Hanami returned, she brought back a few magic books and story books for Haru along with a cat doll that she said was a gift from a mage she met in Magnolia, in addition to the gifts Hanami brought back stories of the mages in Magnolia. Stories of their victories and adventures, Haruka was in awe to find that other places treat magic users as equals rather than monsters. Every night the shrine maiden would read out of a book written by a mage in another place to the children, little by little Haruka became more and more interested by the outside world. But she knew she could never leave this prison called Canes. The leader's son Vali had learned rune magic and put up an invisible wall around the town, anyone marked with the rune burn could not leave, but because he was the chief's son he was exempt from the guardian draft.

A month went by and Haruka was out playing and running with Jason and Bradley, despite the occasional scuffle with a townsperson the three young guardians lived fairly peacefully. Haru sat on the side of the street with the brothers as they watched some kids play in the river, but something else caught her eye that was coming down the street. A group of strangers, the villagers stepped aside as the group of four unknown people walked.  
"They are mages passing stopping by to get supplies I bet." Jason said quietly, but haru was too busy looking at the mark on one of the stranger's shoulder. Red and in the shape of some kind of bird, or at least something with wings, the man walked by and blocked out the sun so she didn't get a look at his face but the way his hair shined and how he walked so confidently made her wonder what kind of person he was. The symbol on his shoulder stuck out in her mind, what could it mean? She thought after she watched the strangers go.

It has been nearly four years since Haru had become a guardian, and with each passing week life for them grew harder and harder, the three were chained up and forced to work in the fields like child slaves and beaten if they stopped. Though the pain of the day would always go away when the lovely Hanami would tell stories of legendary mages at night, over time Haruka had found that she was very fond of Bradley, and Jason had become like a brother to her. Watching Bradley work beside her made her happy, but she could never find the words to tell him how she felt. Later that day the trio was sitting in a clearing along the path between the shrine and the town, they were enjoying the shade and the sounds of nature when all of a sudden their moment of peace vanished.

The chief's son Valor and his friends came along and started causing trouble, but the guardians did not reply to his remarks. Angry the 17 year old prince grabbed Haru by her side ponytail and began to punch her, but he only got a couple in before Jason kicked the hand holding the girl then stopped his fist. From there the scuffle only escalated into a full on fist fight,  
"Guardians who act out against the townspeople get punishment"  
"And a townsperson is only allowed to attack a guardian when they step out of line, Haru didn't do anything wrong Valor."  
"She was born, that is her sin" he yelled as he took out a knife and swung it at Jason who used his magic to turn his arms into wings and fly up to kick Valor. With that move Valor's posse got involved and went after Haruka with knives in hand, they meant to kill them, "you always go around with smiles on your faces, it makes me sick to see scum like you living in peace" one boy yelled  
"We smile to hide our pain, that is all we can do now!" Bradley said back as he punched a boy off Haru.  
"Haruka run! I refuse to let you be killed in their sick game!" Bradley yelled as he pushed her away, then he looked at her sweetly with a single tear rolling down his cheek. "It seems like I won't be able to teach you how to read, sorry." he said as he turned around and used his magic to give him claws and jumped on a boy. They were only fighting to buy time for Haru to get away, and she did, she ran down the path then used her magic to phase into the shadows just in time to escape a knife that had been thrown at her. She looked over her shoulder and her eyes widened in horror as she saw some non-magic guardians shoot Jason in the head, his lifeless body hit the ground as blood pooled around his head, she heard Bradley screaming as they beat him but the only things he yelled were to Haruka.

"Will you let them steal your freedom? Run, go, kick down the door to this prison and fly on wings of freedom! At the bottom of light there will be peace!" his yells were stopped with a single gunshot. Luckily they did not see Haruka get away, nor did the boys say that she did. Haruka ran and once she reached the safety of the shrine she dropped to her knees and looked up to the sky and screamed with tears streaming down her face and blood dripping from her cheek. Older guardians quickly figured out what had happened and went to collect their fallen comrades and brought them back to the shrine then placed them on the ground in front of the main shrine building where the spirits of their ancestors could come and speak with the living. Haruka sat by the gates and looked up at the sky until nightfall, Hanami guided the spirits of the young boys to the spirit world and then the oldest guardians buried them in a graveyard made especially for guardians. The lanterns all around the shrine grounds lit up with an eerie blue flame as the guardians retreated into the bunkhouses, all but Haru were inside.

In the morning Hanami walked outside, the sun was just poking out as she walked into the graveyard, she saw Haruka sitting on her knees between the graves of her fallen friends. She quickly took out her sketchbook and began to draw quickly, for she saw the spirits of the young girl's fallen friends beside her as she cried. Now is going to be hard for her. Hanami thought, I refuse to let her spend the rest of her life here, Bradley and Jason you died so she could be free right? So I will help her too.

A few weeks passed and Haruka had not said a single word, not even to Hanami. Her once bright eyes were dull and emotionless, the guardians feared they were going to lose her to her grief. Hanami had to act fast if she was to save Haruka, she took the guardian and led her into the woods by the entrance to the town from the shrine, but before long a purple rune line shined, marking the wall that trapped the guardians.  
"Haruka, attack the wall"  
Haru looked up at Hanami with confusion but said nothing, but she understood what she had to do. Haruka stepped back and put a fist over her heart. "Haruka take this" Hanami said as she handed her a small bag. "It has your book that your dad left you, the storybook I got for you and the knives Jason and Bradley had. They would want you to have them, now go child." she said with tears in her eyes "run until you can't run then find others to fight beside you"  
Haru nodded then got into a fighting stance with her fists raised she punched at the wall, a shadow from a tree shot out and hit the rune wall as well, and another one. The wall began to crack and Haru ran at the rune cage and jumped up and kicked the wall with all her might, the rune spell shattered and she landed outside then turned around to see Hanami smiling as the rune wall fixed itself. Angry voices and loud footsteps gave her the signal to run.

 **POV (Haru now)**

Haruka finished her story and wiped her eyes with her hand, Erza sat there shocked but also still trying to understand the story. "I can still hear Hanami telling me a story just before I left. It was a story about the mage she met in this town when she came here." she sniffled "she loved to talk about the mage who could call upon the spirits of the stars. Hanami said she had beautiful golden hair and the kindest voice and bright smile.-" she stopped then looked at Erza then stood up and pulled off her scarf to look at her guild mark, "its Fairytail" she said.  
"Yea that's our guild." Erza said questioningly  
"No I mean the stories Hanami told us, they were about Fairytail! That means that-" Haruka put her scarf back on and ran out the door.  
"Wait Haru!" Erza called after her

Haru ran down the street, the sun was setting but someone may still be at the guild! Haru thought as she ran. When she arrived at the guild she looked around but the only mages there were Cana, Laxus, Gajeel and a few others. Concerned, Mira went up to her "did something happen Haru?" but she ran away with no reply. The young shadow mage bolted down the road, the stone ground hurt her feet but she was not going to stop, she rounded a corner and welled up with joy when she saw Lucy walking to her house with Natsu and Happy. Haru ran at the celestial mage, "Lucy!" she yelled as she ran but before she made it to the mage she tripped and slid on the ground the last yard or so then hugged Lucy. "It was you!" she cried "you were the one Hanami talked so much about, you were the mage who's kind acts saved me!"  
Lucy was shocked by Haruka's sudden actions, but Natsu was more shocked than she was. Haruka had never really said much to the fire dragon slayer, and she had never shown such emotion near anyone before. When Erza finally caught up she explained everything and Lucy smiled, "so Hanami was that lady's name? She didn't tell me her name before, all she said was _are you willing to be the light that my little shadow needs?_ "  
Erza smiled and put her hands on her hips, "well then I guess I know who will be watching over Haru from now on." she laughed "I was going to put you with Laxus but this works better."  
Lucy agreed to take Haru, though she really couldn't say no after she had promised Hanami all that time ago, and now that Haru was basically living with Natsu the two mages became good friends and would often fight each other. Of Course there was no real competition between the two because the fire dragon slayer was clearly more powerful. Despite all that has happened in Fairytail, Haruka Kruo still has not forgotten her goal, to free her fellow Canes guardians and with Natsu's help she will grow stronger and fight for the friends she left behind.


	6. Chapter 6

**This chapter will be the last for this story, but I will be starting another arc fanfiction that will have Haru in it but as a support character for another OC who has yet to be named. This new OC will be a part of the guild Blue Pegasus and has elemental staff magic with a little bit of caster water magic.**

 **Chapter 6**

 **Final goodbye, new mission**

Haruka hopped up onto a barstool beside Lucy, the young shadow mage noticed that lately the guild hall had been very empty with the exception of Lucy, Lisanna, Wendy and Mirajane. Haruka had also noticed that Cana was also looking depressed but never found the words to ask her what was wrong.  
"It's fine, Cana always says that around this time" Mira said to Lucy  
"Eh? Around this time?" she asked, Haru lifted up her head to listen and she drank some milk from her mug.  
"Oh yea I remember Happy telling me about a huge event Fairytail has at the end of every year where they test mages to become s-class or something!" Haru said as she joined the conversation. "Did you not know about it Lucy?"

The blonde mage shook her head, Lucy had only been in Fairytail for 6 months and had never heard of the S-class mage trials. This fact came as a shock to Haru, who had only been around for 2 months. The fast approaching date of the trial must be the reason behind the empty guild hall. _I wonder what kind of test it is…_ Haru's thoughts were cut off by Natsu yelling as he ran past the bar. Lucy turned around "Hey! If you are going on a job, take me!" she called after him  
"Sorry, I'll be going solo for now!" he yelled back. "We will hang out when we get back!" Happy added as he flew off.  
"What has those two all riled up?" Haruka asked but got no reply before Gray pushed the young girl aside to tell Mira he was going out on another job then leaving in a hurry with nothing on but his boxers. _That random stripping ice jackass spilt my milk._ Haruka growled as she got back in her chair just to be pushed out of it again by several mages in a hurry to go out on job requests, in a matter of seconds Lucy soon joined Haruka on the floor watching as the mages confirmed their jobs and left.  
"What the hell is this?" they said at the same time. Haruka crawled away and hid under a table as is her usual way of coping with large amounts of people.  
"It's that time of year again, you know?" she heard a man say, the man had brown hair and was wearing a green floral shirt and talking to another male with slicked back black hair with a white jacket. They were older members of the guild but Haruka had never talked with them before, so she sat under the table and listened to their conversation.  
"Sure brings back memories... "The older-looking mage said,  
"Back when we were younger we sure had that passion, you know?"  
"But the young'uns these days are incredible!" the brown haired mage said. _So the newer mages are stronger than the older ones?_ Haruka thought. "Such fine asses!" the mage's words shocked Haruka so much, she put her hands on her butt. _Bunch of old perverts!_ The other mage slapped the table "You are the ass!"  
"Oh, more of a breast man are we?" hearing that Haruka looked down at her flat chest with a sigh of relief. "Hey I got a kid buddy, I don't go 'round strain' at girls' rears!" feeling thoroughly uncomfortable about the situation Haruka used her magic to vanish into the shadows and move to another table well away from the two older men. She was about to crawl out from under the tables when a sword swung dangerously close stopped her in her tracks, she may have gotten out of an spat between the older mages but she landed herself dangerously close to a sword fight between Erza Scarlet and Panther Lilly. Haruka turned around and crawled out the other end of the table and ran across the hall back to the bar. "The guild is dangerous." she said as she got back onto her bar stool.

The next day Haruka walked into the guildhall holding a stray cat she picked up on her way, she had named the little white kitten Mishi. "I wonder if Mirajane has any cat food for you Mishi." she stopped in the doorway shocked, everyone in the guild was here and gathered around the stage. In awe she dropped the kitten who meowed then ran off. Haruka walked slowly into the guildhall and crouched down beside a short set of stairs near the stage. _I wonder what is going on. So many people here, I'm not sure how to deal with this._ Haruka's legs shook nervously, being in a large group has never been her strong point being that back in her hometown she would have been beaten if she was ever near anyone. She felt a hand on her shoulder, it was Wendy "Come on Haru, come stand with Me." she said as she lead Haruka over to an empty spot, "I heard that master has an important announcement." she explained to her. As Haru looked around he saw that all the mages were nervous or excited about this announcement, all but Cana who looked even more depressed than the day before.

The crowd hushed as the curtains on the stage lifted, Makarov stood on the stage with Erza, Mirajane and a mage she could not remember the name of right behind them. The assembled mages suddenly erupted with cheering that made Haru jump. But everyone settled a little as master spoke. "Fairytail, as we have done since days long past, I will now announce participants in this year's S Class Wizard exam!" the wizards cheered in excitement.  
"An advancement exam?" Haruka asked herself.  
"Everyone shut up!" Erza yelled from the stage. "The master isn't finished talking" the unknown mage added. The mages quieted almost immediately.  
"This year's exam will take place on Tenroujima! The holy ground for our guild!" Master said. _Tenroujima?_ Haru thought, _that means Heaven Wolf Island if I am not mistaken… what kind of place is it I wonder?_  
"Each of your powers, hearts and souls… I have judged them all this past year, there will be eight participants!" Master announced "Natsu Dragneel!" when she heard Natsu's name Haruka smiled. "Gray Fullbuster!" and with that name her smile vanished. "Juvia Lockser! Elifman!" Haruka clapped for her friends, "Cana Alberona" Haru was about to cheer when she saw that Cana did not seem happy to be called upon. "Freed Justine! Levy McGarden!" Haruka smiled when Levy was called, the blue haired girl had been like a mentor to Haruka and taught her how to read while Lucy taught her how to write. She was very happy to cheer for Levy in this happy occasion. "Mest Gryder!" the name struck Haru _Mest? Who is that?_ She looked around and found the mage, she had never seen him before but somehow knew he was a member of the guild. _But how do I remember him being a member if I have never ever seen him before?_ Haruka took time to learn each member of Fairy Tail by face so if she got lost in town she would know who to ask for help and it baffled her that she had never knew of this man, she even knew who Mystogan was despite never seeing him in person before. Haruka was lost in thought so she did not notice Lucy talking to Wendy beside her but came out of it when the master spoke again.  
"This time only one of you will pass. The exam will take place in one week, prepare yourselves! As this is the first time for some of you let me explain the rules!" master said.  
"Each participant please select one partner during the preparation week" Mirajane said. "There are two rules for choosing partners" Erza added "one: it must be a member of Fairy Tail, two: They cannot be a current S Class wizard."  
"The contents of the exam will be announced once you arrive on Tenroujima, but this time Erza will be blocking your progress" master's words sent a wave of fear and shock into the mages. Mira did not help in this by adding she was also going to be taking part, but with the news that the third mage Gildarts was going to help too Natsu got very happy, meanwhile Gray was terrified. "The eight participants and their partners will meet at Hargeon Port in one week, that's all!" Makarov said as the meeting ended.

The following week the mages picked for the exam had picked their partners and gathered at the port. Haruka hugged Lucy goodbye before the celestial mage got on the ship. "Haru, I got you some new books to keep you occupied until I get back, I will see you in a few days ok?" Lucy said as she fixed Haru's side ponytail. "You still have Romeo to play with and remember to check in with Macao or Alzack every now and then. Oh! And if you need any help you can always talk to Bisca. Be good and keep up on your training." Haruka sat at the docks and watched the ship sail away, something did not feel right and she had this nagging feeling that she was never going to see Lucy or any of her other friends again.

Several days past and Haruka sat outside the entrance to the guild, they had gotten word that Tenroujima Island had been attacked and everyone who went on that exam were missing, and the news hit everyone hard. Mages started dropping out left and right so now most days the guild hall was empty. _Not again_ she thought as a raindrop hit her face _I have lost everyone I care about again._ She stood up and walked inside "Bisca" she said to the green haired woman who Lucy put up to take care of Haru while she was away. "What is it kiddo?" she replied. A single tear ran down the shadow mage's face as she spoke.

"I understand Haruka, go. Fairy Tail will always be here for you."


End file.
